Our family uses and prefers the RSV-CE (Revised Standard Version-Catholic Edition) for several reasons. Among them is the fact that it is the translation used by the Catechism of Catholic Church and recommended by many Scripture scholars including Scott Hahn.

In fact, my husband so prefers the RSV-CE (also know as the Ignatius Bible) that he wrote a textual concordance to it since none was available for him to use:). Read more about the RSV-CE translation (and the concordance, of course!) here: http://mamaslittleditty.blogspot.com/2009/05/look-it-up.html

We also use the Jerusalem Bible as a back up and I think that one is preferred by Mother Angelica.

Personally I like the Ignatius Bible or the Douay Rheims translations these days, but I say go for the translation used in the Lectionary, the NAB, and get the St. Joseph Edition published by the Catholic Book Publishing Company.

It contains historical backgrounds, a TON of notes, cross references, a dictionary, the cycle of readings, and a doctrinal index. It might even be a good idea to give the graduates a little "tour" of their new Bibles, kind of to get them started in reading it for themselves. They come in three sizes, both as inexpensive paperback and beautiful leather bound editions.

This is the version that got me started in scripture study, and I still use the additional features quite often.

Please, Lord, a saint!

About Me

Father, Daren J. Zehnle, K.H.S., a priest of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, serves as Parochial Vicar of St. Agnes Parish, Springfield; Director of the Office for Divine Worship and the Catechumenate; Chief Master of Ceremonies to the Bishop; and as Diocesan Judge for the Diocesan Tribunal.